About

$21,041

pledged of $10,000 goal

260

backers

“A woman is a school. Teach her, and you teach a
generation.”

-- Lutfiyeh, student at Al-Zahra Mosque Qur’an
School for girls

We’ve
been following preacher Houda al-Habash since 2008, the leader of Al-Zahra
Qur’an School for women and girls, and her community in Damascus, Syria.
Now we need YOUR support to help us finish the editing and final
post-production of our film.

Houda
al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher, founded Al-Zahra Qur’an
school for girls in Damascus, Syria when she was 17 years old. Every
summer, her students immerse themselves in a rigorous study of Islam, in
addition to their secular schooling. A surprising cultural shift is
underway—women are claiming space within the mosque, a place
historically dominated by men.

Challenging
tradition, Houda insists education for women is a form of worship.
Using Qur’anic teachings, she encourages her students to pursue higher
education, jobs, and public lives, while remaining committed to an
interpretation of Islam which prioritizes women’s role as wives and
mothers. In a world rarely seen, THE LIGHT IN HER EYES
tells the story of a leader who challenges the women of her community
to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams. Shot right
before the uprising in Syria began, the film is an exclusive look at a
social movement thriving in a country controlled by a repressive
regime.

Over
the course of one summer, the women and girls in Houda's mosque attend Qur’an classes, go on field trips
out of town, and socialize with friends at home. Women
juggle the responsibilities typical of working mothers, teenagers try on
forbidden makeup, and university students compare exams in finance and
computer science. By telling the story of one woman’s Qur’an school, we
show how the Islamic revival, and women’s role within it, could impact
the region’s future.

WHY ARE WE MAKING THIS FILM?

As
filmmakers we’re interested in complex characters, and Houda al-Habash
is a fascinating figure. She’s passionate, inspiring, and often
contradictory. As Americans, we’re exposed to violent and extremist
images of Islam which flood our media, and we’re dedicated to creating
an alternative portrait of contemporary moderate Islam. As women
directors, we recognize how Houda’s message both speaks to and departs
from our version of feminism. Our film embraces this contradiction,
committed to both questioning and celebrating the impact of her
vision—expanding women’s opportunities through Islamic education.

WHY ARE WE FUNDRAISING?

We’ve been working on the film since 2008, and will complete the entire project by the end of this year. We finished principal photography in
November 2010, and are in the middle of editing. The money we raise will
go directly towards the expenses of the film, including the cost of paying our
talented editor, finalizing our translation, and doing the final
post-production on the film—the online, color correct and sound mix.

HOW DOES KICKSTARTER WORK?

MAKE A DONATION TO THE FILM AND YOU GET A REWARD. Choose the amount you’d like to donate, and the gift
you’d like to receive. Once funding is completed, we will list your name on our
website, and send other rewards by mail.

IF WE DON’T MEET OUR GOAL, WE DON’T GET ANY OF THE
MONEY. That’s right, even if we’re $10 short of our goal, we
won’t get the money. That’s why we need you to kick in and help us out!

IF WE RAISE ALL OR MORE THAN OUR TARGET AMOUNT
BEFORE THE DEADLINE, WE GET TO KEEP THE WHOLE AMOUNT. All funds will go directly to Clockshop, the 501(c)3
that is producing the project. Our $10,000 goal is just a portion of our total
budget to be able to finish the film, anything we raise over that will go directly towards the finishing costs, for instance, the cost of
hiring a composer, and creating our HD delivery masters.

***TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS*** If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation of
$100 or more, please contact Director/Producer Julia Meltzer at
thelightinhereyes@gmail.com to find out how to make your donation through our
501(c)3.

I’M INTERESTED IN YOUR PROJECT, BUT I CAN’T DONATE
RIGHT NOW. CAN I DO ANYTHING ELSE TO HELP? Yes!! You can personally email your friends and
family to encourage them to donate, or just to let them know about the project,
and you can spread the word by linking to our Kickstarter campaign on YOUR
Facebook profile and YOUR Twitter feed. This is a word of mouth campaign, and its
success relies on people being aware of the film. One of the most important
goals of crowdfunding is to find our audience for the film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Los Angeles option: You will receive all the above, PLUS four tickets to the Los Angeles film premiere, and an exclusive dinner for 4 by Chopshop, http://chopshopla.org, with the directors (travel and lodging not included), and a special on-screen thank you in our film credits. Your support has made this documentary possible.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Can’t come to Los Angeles? You will receive all the above PLUS four tickets to the premiere of the film in your home city (if it screens there), dinner for four with the directors, and a special on-screen thank you in our film credits. Your support has made this documentary possible.